Bump
The App That Shared Files with a Tap
Forgotten Apps · 2009
Archived on
Associated With
Bump Technologies - developer or publisher
Defining Feature
Sensor-assisted smartphone sharing triggered by physically bumping two devices
Status
Closed - Bump and Flock shut down on 31 January 2014
Overview
Bump let two smartphone users share contacts, photographs and files by bumping their devices together.
The physical gesture concealed an online matching process rather than transferring data through the contact itself. Motion, location and timing data helped identify the two devices while internet-connected services coordinated the exchange.
Bump Technologies launched the app in 2009. Google acquired the company in 2013 and moved its team onto other projects; Bump and the related Flock app closed on 31 January 2014.
Why It Mattered
Bump turned an otherwise invisible network transaction into a memorable physical gesture. During the early smartphone era, that simple interaction made device-to-device sharing feel immediate and helped demonstrate how phone sensors could support new social behaviours.
How the Bump Gesture Worked
- The app combined motion, location and timing data to match two phones after their users bumped them together.
- Transfers were coordinated through internet-connected services rather than passing directly through physical contact.
- The interface supported contacts, photographs and other files while hiding the matching process behind one gesture.
Launch and Google Acquisition
- Bump Technologies launched the app in 2009.
- Google acquired the company in 2013 and moved the team onto other projects.
Closure with Flock
- Bump and the related Flock app closed on 31 January 2014.
Sources & Records
- Bump — official company blog — Preserves the Google acquisition and January 2014 shutdown notices alongside descriptions of sharing features.
- Ars Technica — Bump’s January 2014 closure — Explains accelerometer-based pairing over the internet and reports the shutdown and export arrangements.
Gallery
Credit
Bump Technologies application interface; screenshot contributor not established
Licence
Historical Ephemera
Displayed for commentary, criticism, research and historical documentation where permitted by applicable law. No permission for reuse is granted.
Caption
Bump's contact and sharing screens promised an exchange with a nearby person, using a physical gesture to simplify a digital connection.
Credit
Bump interface imagery; reproduced by Business Insider
Licence
Historical Ephemera
Displayed for commentary, criticism, research and historical documentation where permitted by applicable law. No permission for reuse is granted.
Caption
Bump replaced typing contact details with a physical gesture, making the exchange of digital information between phones feel like a brief face-to-face interaction.